Dr. VandeWoude completed her BS at California Institute of Technology and her DVM at Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. After a brief stint in Clinical Veterinary Practice she performed a post-doctoral fellowship in Comparative Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her post-doctoral research involved characterization of the viral agent associated with Borna Disease Agent. She joined Colorado State University in 1990 and obtained Diplomate status in the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1991. Dr. VandeWoude has served a variety of roles at CSU, including Clinical Veterinarian, Associate Director and Director of Laboratory Animal Resources. She has been a faculty member in the Department of Micro-, Immuno-, and Pathology since 1991 (when it was then the Department of Pathology), and is currently Professor of Comparative Medicine and serves as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. VandeWoude's research interests include biology and pathogenesis of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus infections in both domestic and nondomestic felids. Her laboratory studies these viruses in the context of an animal model for HIV/AIDS and as an agent useful for investigation of Ecology of Infectious Disease in charismatic large felid species such as pumas and bobcats. Her work also includes searching for new viral agents in domestic and nondomestic felids using targeted genome enrichment and next generation sequencing technology. Dr. VandeWoude has been a member of the CVMBS One Health Institute steering committee, which aims to develop a framework for One Health studies at CSU. This will include collaborations with partner institutions in West, East, and South Africa in both educational exchanges and research projects. Dr. VandeWoude’s participation in SAES will include serving as a liaison to faculty in CVMBS working in Africa to facilitate networking and collaborative opportunities.